COACHING STAFF

Anthony Harris | Associate Head Coach

Anthony Harris returns to South Dakota as associate head coach of swimming and diving ahead of the 2020-21 season.

Harris spent six seasons previously between 2005-2011 as an assistant coach alongside head coach Jason Mahowald.

Harris comes back to Vermillion after three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.

Harris' time at Arkansas saw sprinter Anna Hopkin produce one of the best careers in Razorbacks history. Hopkin, a two-time NCAA All-American and national runner-up in the 100 free, was named the 2020 SEC Woman's Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year. Hopkin, a seventh-place finisher in the 50 free at the 2019 World Championships, broke four individual school records and swam on four relay school records.

Peyton Palsha was a three-year NCAA qualifier during Harris' time at Arkansas.

Harris began his Arkansas tenure on May 17, 2017, after serving as an associate head coach during the 2016-17 season for both the men’s and women’s programs at the University of North Dakota.

Before being promoted to associate head coach at UND, Harris was an assistant coach the previous four years for the Fighting Hawks. During his five seasons in Grand Forks, Harris help lead the women’s program to a 44-25 overall record, including a 9-2 mark in his final year. During the 2016-17 season, Harris helped the women’s program pick up its best Western Athletic Conference finish since the WAC reinstated the sport for the 2013-14 season, with a fifth-place showing at the conference championships in February.

After going a combined 10-21 (.323) during his first year at North Dakota in 2012-13, the men’s and women’s programs combined to go 59-32 (.648) over his final four years.

Prior to North Dakota, the St. Paul, Minnesota, native also recorded stops at Ohio University for one season and the University of South Dakota for six seasons, where he coached a combined 45 All-Americans. Harris has coached four swimmers at the US Olympic Trials, one while at Ohio and three at North Dakota.

Harris was a skillful collegiate swimmer at the University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point, where he was an 18-time conference champion, six-time All-American, three-time All-American Honorable Mention and named senior captain and MVP.

Following his time as a competitive swimmer, Harris began his coaching career at the University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point as a volunteer assistant coach for one season (2002-03), while finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. He later took a graduate assistant position at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he served as the assistant coach for two years while earning his Master of Science in Sport Management.

Joe Gucwa III | Head Diving Coach

Joe Gucwa III joined the Coyotes as the head diving coach in July of 2022.

Prior to USD, Gucwa was the head diving coach at Saginaw Valley State University. The Cardinals had a diver appear at the NCAA Division II National Championships in each year under Gucwa's guidance. In his first season in 2018-19, diver Libby Caird qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships and finished in 15th place in the one-meter diving event. She earned All-American honors after 385.45 points. Gucwa again helped Caird to the NCAA Championship meet in the 2019-20 season.

The 2020-21 season brought more success for Gucwa and his divers. Half of the divers for the Cardinals qualified for the national meet including the third straight appearance for Caird. Gucwa made history for the Cardinals when his diver, Justin Ott, became the first ever NCAA First Team All-American for the men's program after a seventh-place finish at the national meet. Gucwa was noticed for his work at the end of the season as he was nominated for SVSU Coach of the Year. 

This past season, Gucwa had two divers win Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference titles. Caird claimed the one-meter title and finished in second in the three-meter event while Adrien McGill won both the one-meter and three-meter titles on the men's side. Both Caird and McGill earned GLIAC Diver of the Year awards following the conference meet, and both received Honorable Mention All-American honors at the NCAA Championship meet.

A native of Naperville, Illinois, Gucwa was a member of the swimming and diving team while attending Grand Valley State University. He was an eight-time All-American for the Lakers from 2014-2018. He earned a National First Team All-American honor after finishing third in the three-meter dive with a score of 472.10 at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Gucwa obtained his bachelor's degree in communications from Grand Valley State in 2019.